Tanning beds making use of artificial ultra violet light are very popular, especially in the winter months when a natural tan can not be readily acquired and particularly in those areas where the summer tanning season is relatively short. Many tanning operators own a number of tanning beds for rent to the public. The length of time that a user must stay in the tanning chamber to achieve a desired tanning affect is a limiting factor on how often the beds can be rented and thus has a direct impact on profits.
A typical tanning bed has an upper tanning unit and a lower tanning unit connected by hinges so that the upper unit can be opened and a closed in a manner analogous to a clamshell. In the open position, a person can enter the apparatus to lie down on the lower tanning unit In the closed position the units form an internal tanning chamber where the person to be tanned is partially surrounded by tanning lamps. The upper unit has a row of lamps that are intended to tan the upwardly facing parts of the person, and the lower unit has a row of lamps that are intended to tan the downwardly facing parts of the person.
A problem that is often encountered in prior art devices is uneven tanning along a users' sides that arises because of a break in the lamp distribution at the sides of the chamber where the upper and lower tanning units meet when in the closed position. In a typical tanning bed, the upper and lower units meet on opposite sides of the tanning chamber near the vertical center of the chamber. Consequently, the user cannot eliminate the uneven tan by a method such as periodically alternating from lying on his or her back and stomach.
Another problem with typical tanning beds is that the upper tanning unit, when in the closed position, must provide a reasonable amount of room above the person lying in the bed. However, providing the overhead space requires that the lamps in the upper tanning unit be positioned farther away from the person than the lamps in the lower tanning unit. The overhead space decreases the amount of tanning radiation that reaches the upwardly facing parts of a person, which increases the time required to achieve a desired level of exposure.